From Me to You: Tips For New Moms!

Are you a soon to be first time mom and freaking out? Heck, are you a second..or third..or fourth time mom and freaking out?   Well here are some tips to help you relax & put your mind at ease.

• If breast feeding. It will hurt. It will be stressful. DON'T give up! I wanted to quit multiple times with Madison but I stuck it out & we made it past a year! 

• White noise is your friend.  A sound machine, window fan, or the tv on static will help your baby sleep soundly. With two loud toddlers running around I have learned to use white noise more than ever to help the twins nap and sleep.

• You don't need to hold your baby all day long. It is okay to put them down. Not only will you be able to get stuff done but baby won't learn to rely on you holding him/her all. the. time.

• Start a night time routine in the hospital. We did this with the twins and they have been with out a doubt the best infant sleepers between all of our kiddos.

• Feed baby every two hours during the day. It will help establish a routine & you'll be sure they are getting enough food.

• Babies cry for a reason.  Diaper needs to be changed, they're hungry, they just want to be held, they're over stimulated, they're over tired, they have gas, they're constipated, they're teething...explore with your baby before letting them CIO.

• Don't panic. If you have checked your baby for all of the above in the last bullet and he/she is still crying and you're finding yourself frustrated; put baby in the crib & walk away for a little. Pull yourself together, count to 10, deep breathes, & go get your child. 

• Swaddle. Either learn to use swaddle blankets or purchase velcro swaddlers (like we did). I swaddle the twins during naps & at night for bed. Helping them feel tight & confined relaxes babies. 

• Newborns love black, white, & red objects! Print off a picture from the computer in black & white or purchase some infant play blocks. 

• Sleep when baby sleeps (if you have no other children). Get your rest when baby does! The dishes, laundry, & cleaning can wait.

• Rest when baby sleeps (if you have other children). It's hard to sleep when baby sleeps & watch your other children at the same time. So go ahead and sit on the sofa, put on your favorite tv show, and relax. You can still keep an eye on the other child(ren) while resting. 

Natural Ways to Rid Infant Gas

Riley & MacKenzie are gas filled babies. Whenever they stretch I guarantee you'll hear a fart come from their tiny bodies. Most of the time it doesn't bother them but some days it will. Seeing babies suffer with the discomfort of gas can be sad. Their tiny little bellies are still developing. Below are some natural ways to relieve the discomfort & help settle your gassy babe.

Baby Massage

- Rub your babies belly clockwise with slight pressure. This technique also helps with constipation. 

Watch What You Eat (if breast feeding)

-Certain foods will cause gas in babies such as broccoli, garlic, cabbage, & dairy products. Broccoli is what did it for my girls, so I no longer eat it. 

Homemade Gripe Water

-Find the recipe, here. Works awesome! I used his method with Luke when he was an infant.

Burp Mid-Feeding

-When you burp mid-feeding when baby naturally slows down eating it will make avoiding gas easier. Pulling baby off of the bottle or breast could make him/her angry causing them to swallow more air making him/her gassy.

Two Months!

Two Months Old!

07/05/14

We are still alive!

The second month has been a lot more demanding. During the first month all they did was eat, sleep, and poop. Now Riley & MacKenzie are more aware of their surroundings and have longer wake times. We had to bring out the swing which seems to work better then the boppy. The girls will sit in the swing wide awake just taking in the day. 

Peter and I are able to tell who is who by their looks. Riley (right) has a longer and skinnier head...overall she is smaller then MacKenzie (left). 

We have a great routine going and the girls have taken well to it..thank goodness! At 8pm I prep and begin giving the girls their bath (one at a time). I'll rub them down with some lavender lotion, put on their diaper, and onesie and then swaddle them tight. Next is feeding time, lately I have mastered the art of tandem feeding. For some reason when I tandem feed the girls seem to eat longer and get more milk. They usually pass out around 9pm or quarter after and then we take them up to our room to lay them down. That gives Peter and I some time to relax together. 

Speaking of tandem feeding, I can cross that off my bucket list. (: It really does make life easier. 

I finally ventured out to the grocery store alone...with all four kids. Luke and Madison held hands the entire time so they had a buddy. There were a few attempts to throw items in the cart like fruit snacks, cereal, and frozen pops but I caught them. haha! The more time I spend as a mother to four kids the easier it becomes. 

This past month the girls also got baptized. We asked their Uncle John and Aunt Cassie to be Riley's God Parents and Uncle Matt and Aunt Anna to be MacKenzie's God Parents. 

Riley, Aunt Cassie, Uncle John, and Father Mike.

MacKenzie, Aunt Anna, Uncle Matt, and Father Mike.

When they cry we can tell who is who. MacKenzie always starts high pitched and Riley has a tremble during her cry. They both LOVE to cuddle on my chest..I love it too. They each wake up once a night but will sometimes stay awake longer then they should (hour or two). They eat every two hours & on occasion more if they hit a growth spurt.

Oh yeah, did I mention that MacKenzie has her bottom two teeth coming already! The tops already poked through, no wonder why she has been drooling!

MacKenzie making faces while I talk to her.

Riley's First Smile.

A friend of the family hand made some beautiful hats for Riley & MacKenzie! I wish I had the patience and talent to knit like this, they're beautiful!

Peter & I are doing great. Haven't killed each other yet which is amazing compared to how it was during my pregnancy. Father's Day has come & gone and he loved his t-shirt the kiddos made. See a photo of it here. 

Luke & Madison are still great helpers. They fetch diapers, wipes, & pacifiers when asked. They love to hold the girls & give them kisses too. Maddie helps me give the twins their bath while Luke tries to help put them to sleep. He accomplished that once by singing a song from Cinderella to MacKenzie. 

The Fourth of July has come and gone, you can read about that here. So now we move on to their third month and see what else the girls have in store for us to enjoy.(:

Two Month Check-Up

MacKenzie

Height: 21 1/2in

Weight: 8lbs 4oz

Favorite Activity: Looking at mommy

Clothing Size: 0-3months

Diaper Size: Newborn

Sleep: 5hr stretch, Wake to eat, sleep for another 5hrs.

Riley

Height: 21 1/2in

Weight: 7lbs 1oz

Favorite Activity: Talking & Smiling to mommy

Clothing Size: Newborn

Diaper Size: Newborn

Sleep: same as MacKenzie 

Dr. Bista said both girls are perfect! Riley is my little munchkin compared to MacKenzie, love them! She prescribed stuff for the girls to help with their spitting up, after every feeding they both spew like yellow stone all over. They aren't fussy about it, it's not forced, & they have more then enough dirty diapers so  I am going to start logging the food I eat to see if anything is making this happen before giving them any meds. I already cut out broccoli & beans so they don't get gas, I also cut down on spicy foods too.

One Month Old!

Riley and MacKenzie are going to be a month old next week already. Where in world does the time go? Seriously. I feel like it's been just a week since they've been born. 

They are still in newborn clothing but are gaining great weight. 

I can see it in their faces already.

 They are eating constantly and I think are going through a growth spurt right now. 

Did I mention that they are waking once a night to eat?! Sometimes they'll wake and as soon as I lay them in bed with me to eat they pass out before I can even try.
They're staying awake for longer periods of time.

We have them on a good schedule that they are starting to get use to thankfully! 

The following are some photos of the girls recently:

Riley

MacKenzie

MacKenzie and Riley

Riley

MacKenzie and Riley

Riley

Oh My Gosh TWINS?!

The title is just one of the many statements I get when out in public with the girls. Strangers no longer seem like strangers after having a conversation together about raising twins and "how adorable they are". I already wrote the post about what people would ask me while I was pregnant after they found out I was having twins here. This post is going to feature questions I get when I go out with Riley & MacKenzie. 

Questions:

"Oh my gosh, Twins?!" 

  Usually I answer with, "Yeah. Identical girls." *Smile* While I think to myself "Nope, I just stole this one. The other is mine."

"Are they identical?"

   A common question which I expect. 

"How old are they?"

"Can I see them?"

Sure.

"How do you tell them apart?"

  I tell them that Riley has a skinnier nose and MacKenzie has a rounder face. I also add that I do not dress Riley in pink or pink-ish colors (that is MacKenzie's signature color) and MacKenzie does not wear the color purple (Riley's signature color). 

"Which one is older?"

Riley.

"Do they have different personalities?"

It changes day to day. Once day Riley could be amazingly good the next she could cry all day unless being held.  

"Do twins run in your families?"

They do but distant on both sides. Neither of us realized it either until we spoke with our parents. 

   

"Are you done having kids?"

Sometimes I respond with "I hope so!" or "We aren't sure yet."

2 Week Check-Up

The girls went for their two week check-up today in Towanda with Dr. Bista. This is the first time meeting her & I must say she is a super nice lady. haha. I can also say that I will never again go by myself! Luke & Madison were with my parents so it was just me & the girls but it was still so stressful. Two naked, crying at the top of their lungs babies because they were hungry & wanted to sleep. 

The following are their current stats:

Riley Lynn

19.25" long

6lbs 1oz

No Vaccination

Breastfeeding like a champ

VitD Prescription

MacKenzie Rose

19.25" long

6lbs 3oz

No Vaccinations

Breastfeeding like a champ

VitD Prescription

The prescription is in liquid form to be inserted via mouth. Since they are being breastfed & were born early they need the extra vitamins. 

Both have been great sleepers at night. They will wake once (sometimes together, sometimes different) but once they wake to eat they tend to stay awake longer then we would like.  haha.  

They are in between preemie & newborn clothing.  Preemie onesies are too small but newborn jumpsuits are too big. 

They are also starting to have longer wake times during the day which means I get to see those pretty eyes. 

So far we are still taking it one day at a time. The house isn't as clean as it use to be & the dishes may pile up every few days but I get done what needs to be done. Happy kids, Happy husband, Happy mommy. 

Breastfeeding X2

The thought of breastfeeding twins is extremely intimidating. Not only do you have to worry about two babies latching on correctly but you also have to make sure your milk supply is good for two babies. With those two thoughts in your mind you then think about what positions you will feed the twins in & tandem feeding vs. single feeding. I've been through two weeks of bfing twins and the following are tips & tricks I learned so far.

• Get Support:  While at the hospital use the available resources, your nurses & lactation consultant.  They will be able to assist you with getting the babies to latch & get an understanding at which position works best for you and babies.

• Positive Thinking: It will be hard and you will (most likely) feel like quitting. DON'T! Stick with it, you can do it! Just tell yourself that and remind yourself that the babies are getting the best food available, your breast milk!

• Start at your own pace:  Tandem feeding will be the most convenient way to breastfeed your twins but you don't need to start like that! I started feeding my girls individually. It gave me the opportunity to see if the girls had a good latch & to help fix any problems that may have occurred. Once I felt the girls were comfortable with feeding & I felt confident I attempted to tandem feed. I currently do it once a day & will slowly work it into the rest of our feedings.

• One Wakes? Wake the other too: At night if one of the babies wakes up to eat wake the other up to eat as well. It will save you some sleep between feedings. 

• Relax: The more relaxed you are the easier it will be. Being stressed and getting all worked up will cause a stall in milk production. Babies can also sense your emotions which is why it is harder to settle a crying baby when you're crying too. Deep breaths and positive thoughts help with the let down of milk and calm the baby. 

• Accessorize: The my breast friend twin breastfeeding pillow, breast cream such as Lansinoh, nipple shields, and mother's milk tea are all things that will help you successfully breastfeed twins. I have yet to use the breast feeding pillow because I have yet to buy it but I do use the regular boppy pillow like this. I plan to purchase the twin pillow soon. 

• Drink Lots of Water: If you feel thirsty then you are already becoming dehydrated. Keep a bottle of water near every feeding spot you have. When it runs empty refill and restock!  

Week One!

A week has already gone by since the girls were born and a lot of stuff has been happening! 

I ended up with a spinal head ache and went to the ER to get a blood patch done. It worked to calm the main head ache but I will still on occasion get a head ache during the day, caffeine usually helps. 

The girls have been to the hospital in town three times since we have been home. All three visits were to get blood taken from one of their feet to test their bilirubin levels. MacKenzie's was high the first two times but thankfully they are both out of the "no-no zone" now. 

MacKenzie getting her foot pricked (slept right through it!)

The girls also had a check up with Dr. Wood on Wednesday (the day after we got home). MacKenzie weighed 5lbs 10oz and Riley weighed 5lbs 11oz, nothing to worry about since they both were giving me problems with eating. They are pro's at it now though! MacKenzie took a little longer to understand the breastfeeding thing but she has it down pat now. Riley has been a great from the start but will give me problems at night.

Sleep has been great as well. I figured out a routine that will allow us 4-5hrs of sleep before the girls wake up to eat & then another 2-3hrs of sleep before they are up for the day. I give them a bath at least an hour before we plan to go to bed, pj's, cuddles, feedings right before we go up to bed, & then swaddle!

Some of Peter's family from down state came up to visit so all six of us went to say hello and have dinner! The kids got to hang out and play with their cousins for a bit which was so nice. 

Luke on the far left and Madison on the far right

MacKenzie and Riley with two of their cousins

Mother's Day I spent with family. The below was my present from the kids & I love it!

So overall the first week has been very eventful and has kept us occupied! The girls have been happy & healthy, Luke and Madison have been great with them, and I'm adjusting well(:

Siblings. (Picture post)

Just a quick siblings picture post!  I have yet to get one of all 4 together. I haven't been that brave yet but as soon as I do it will be shared! (:

36 Week Appointment.

Final appointment before my induction on Monday! Both girls weigh about 6lbs each and look so tiny. It was so tight in there that it was hard to get a good photo of them, the above was the best. BabyA is head down and BabyB is breech but the nurse said that shouldn't change anything come time for delivery.** Dr. Dolkart checked their hearts and they both look perfect and healthy. I have another appointment with my SIL & BIL tomorrow to get my pressure points worked on and my adjustment. Let's hope that get's things going and I can start labor myself without the help of the pitocin.

**The nurse was wrong. If BabyB is still breech when I get to the hospital then it's a definite c-section. BOTH babies HAVE to be head down in order to deliver vaginally. Let's hope babyB turns back to head down! She has been that way the entire pregnancy until now!

This Weeks Appointments in Review.

    

I officially have 5 days until my induction. That means the girls have 4 days to come out on their own! This week has been full of appointments but thankfully I will have the weekend free before the big day. Laundry, organizing, scrubbing, dusting, and relaxing is my plan! The following is the run down of my appointments from this week:

Monday I had an appointment with an OB that will be helping with the delivery of the twins. If a C-section is needed he would be the one to perform it. He was super nice and listened to what I had to say. He was also able to check my cervix for dilation and it turns out I am already 2cm dilated and 90% effaced. 

Tuesday I had my last appointment with Dr. Wood before the induction. They hooked me up to the monitors and did my final NST, turns out BabyB is stubborn already! She was giving us trouble in the beginning and a little through out the test. Over all the girls looked good and the machine caught some of the contractions I've been having. I asked my final questions regarding the induction and we discussed the day. No food after midnight on Sunday, instead of a L&D room I will be delivering in the OR in case a c-section is needed, if all three of us are healthy and good to go we will be able to leave 24hrs after giving birth, and so on. 

Wednesday (today) I had an appointment with my SIL & BIL. My SIL is a massage therapist and worked on my pressure points to try and kick start labor so I don't have to be induced. My BIL is a chiropractor and was able to get all the kinks out before having the girls! I was told that my body is extremely relaxed and ready for labor. More relaxed then the last pregnant patient he had that went into labor the day after she got adjusted and her pressure points worked on! Let's hope that means I won't be posting anything tomorrow unless it's photos of the Riley and Makenzie.

Thursday I see Dr. Dolkart for my final ultrasound of the girls. I will make a completely separate post regarding that appointment with ultrasound photos. Let's hope both girls are still head down or that they arrive before I need to go to the appointment!  

If you have any questions regarding my experience with twin pregnancy or what could happen during labor/delivery feel free to ask! 

36 Weeks!

How Far Along:  36 Weeks

Weight Gain/Loss:   14lbs from the beginning to now. I haven't gained or lost any weight since my last appointment. 

Sleep: Good actually!

Best Moment This Week: Learning that my body is working on it's own to have these girls.

Movement: Still active but have slowed down. 

Food Cravings/Aversions: Ice.

What I Miss: Being able to turn over in bed w/o the pain of my belly and walking normal w/o a waddle. 

Stretch Marks: Yes, oh well!

Belly Button: Out of course. haha.

Wedding Rings: Off. Too tight ):

Mood: READY!

Labor Signs:  Shortening cervix, slight contractions, 2cm dilated, 90% effaced. 

Milestones: I made it to the point that the girls won't need the NICU when they are born

Doctor Appointments: 
-Monday I met with Dr. Herbst in Sayre who will be assisting Dr. Wood with the twins.
-Tuesday I had my last appt with Dr. Wood before I get induced. 
-Tomorrow I meet with Dr. Dolkart for the last time.

What I look forward to: Meeting my girls.

Mom 101

Whether you are a soon to be mom, first time mom, or mom to more then one child this post will help you and provide you with some tips! Most of these are links to my posts but a few are from other great websites I have come across.

Moms-To-Be

Postpartum Recovery Kit

Fighting Morning Sickness

Things to do Before You're Due

Packing Your Hospital Bag

Packing Your Spouse's Bag & Baby's Bag

My Sample Birth Plan

27 Pre-Baby Freezer Meals

For Moms

Recovering From a C-Section

Eating/Drinking While Breastfeeding

Introducing Baby & Dog

Postpartum Recovery Kit

Getting Kids To Sleep...Through The Night.

Introducing Solid Foods

Going From One Child to Two

Tips to Produce More Breast Milk

33 Week Appointment: Big News, Small News, and Some in Between!

Today I had my bi-weekly appointment to see Dr. Dolkart. It was definitely an informative and exciting one to say the least! See below!

*= see the bottom of the post

The Girls

The girls are measuring about 4.8 pounds each, give or take an ounce or two, which is fantastic! There are no issues or worries about them at all! Their belly's are measuring perfect and I got to see them practice breathing and swallow fluid during the ultrasound. 

Myself

The amniotic fluid is still great, no leaking at all. My cervix on the other hand is not behaving. While a normal cervix measures at 39 mine is now at 18. So due to my cervix being so short I had to receive a steroid shot* in my right butt cheek. NO. FUN. The needle wasn't bad but the medicine was like a rush of pain through my butt cheek which soon after went numb.

The Outcome

Tomorrow I will go to my OB's office to receive the second dose of steroids. Dr. Dolkart didn't put me on bed rest but did tell me to take it easy and to relax. At 36-37 weeks (if they don't come on their own) I will be induced. Identical twin pregnancies tend to have more complications after the 36 week mark which is why they plan to induce. 

So overall....the twins can arrive anytime within the next 3-4 weeks!
We are both excited but very nervous! 

*The steroid shot is to help the twins lungs develop in case of early delivery. The steroids cut the risk of lung disease and reduces a premature babies risk of dying by up to 40%.